Hinged construction for collapsible lasts



Nov. 1, 1955 A. w. MONEILL HINGED CONSTRUCTION FOR COLLAPSIBLE LASTS Filed March 11, 1955 INVENTOR 1 m Z/ZZ M- BY /W I Z 12 I at)? United States Patent 2,722,026 HINGED CONSTRUCTISON FOR COLLAPSIBLE LA TS Alexander W. McNeil], Saugus, Mass. Application March 11, 1955, Serial No. 493,773

4 Claims. (Cl. 12-136) This invention comprises a new and improved collapsible last constructed and arranged so that its parts tend to collapse of themselves when the hinge mechanism is tripped to release the last from its extended position. In other words, the heel part of the last tends to pop upwardly, shortening the last and relieving pressure upon the upper so that the last may be conveniently withdrawn from the shoe. It has the further advantage of tending to remain in open or collapsed condition when not in use, that is to say, it naturally assumes and retains the most convenient condition to receive a shoe upper.

The last of my invention has a particularly advantageous field of use in the manufacture of shoes by the so-called California process in which the last is spindled in collapsed condition with the forepart directed away from the operator, an upper applied to the last and pulled forcibly over its forepart, and then the last elongated Within the upper by swinging its forepart downwardly. Various shoemaking operations are then carried out, the outsole attached, and finally the complete shoe is again spindled, the last collapsed and the shoe removed. In accordance with the present invention the collapsed last is left in condition to receive a new upper and its parts are yieldingly maintained in that condition.

I have discovered that these desirable results may be achieved in a collapsible last having mating heel and foreparts by providing a hinge mechanism that includes a tension link having anchor pins at its opposite ends in the respective parts of the last, a latch link having a common pivot in the forepart with the tension link, a fixed latch member in the heel part, and a spring fastened to the tension link and engaging the latch link in such a manner as to force it at all times against the fixed latch member. The spring is carried entirely by the hinge mechanism and has no connection with either wooden part of the last. It acts at all times to swing the tension link and latch link together or to decrease the angle between them and in so doing it causes the pressure of the latch link to displace the heel part of the last coneforemost.

The spring may be secured to the tension link in any desired manner as by conforming it to one side of the link and curving it about either or both ends, or the spring may be welded in part to the tension link, or the two may have an interlocking formation. By incorporating the spring into the hinge mechanism in this manner, I entirely obviate the danger and annoyance heretofore experienced in having springs break loose from connection with the wooden parts of the last or break ofi on account of weakness occasioned by perforations made in the spring to receive attaching nails or rivets.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, of the last in collapsed condition,

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the main portions of the last in extended position, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are views in elevation showing the hinge mechanism with springs of modified shape.

The last herein shown comprises a forepart 10 and a heel part 11 having mating faces. At the cone of the last is an opening into which the operating end of the latch link projects so that it may be conveniently reached and released for collapsing the last. The heel part 11 is provided with a slot or mortise 12 and in the mating face of the forepart is provided a registering slot or mortise 13. The hinge mechanism connecting the two parts of the last is housed in these mortises. The mating faces of the two parts are transversely shouldered at an intermediate point to form interlocking engagement when the last is extended and the mortise 12 is so shaped as to leave a stout shoulder of wood adjacent to the tread surface of the heel part.

The hinge mechanism comprises an elongated tension link 14 which, as herein shown, may be made up of two identical spaced members longitudinally curved and slotted at their forward end. The tension link is provided' with an anchor pin 16 in the forepart and an anchor pin 17 in the heel part of the last. It is pivoted upon its rear end to swing about the anchor pin 17 while it is slotted to receive the anchor pin 16, thus providing a lost motion connection and permitting the pin 16 to move rearwardly in the slot when the last is being collapsed.

In its upper side adjacent to the anchor pin 17 in the heel part the tension link is shaped to provide a sharp latch angle or abutment 15. The contour of the tension link end of this latch abutment is duplicated in an intermediate spacer plate that is spot welded in place, thus producing a strong flat unit with a pronounced latch angle of three ply thickness.

A bowed latch or latch link 19 is pivotally mounted on the forepart anchor pin 16 and is arranged to swing in the mortise 13 of the forepart and between the two side members of the tension link 14. Its outer end is rounded and hook shaped to fit either the latch abutment 15 of the tension link or a latch pin 18 set in the upper portion of the heel part of the last. Its end is provided with a rounded edge surface so that it may be readily reached by the operator and tripped in collapsing the last and also so that it will cam itself forwardly and snap over the latch pin 18 when the last is straightened as shown in Fig. 2.

A strong spring 20 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is conformed to one side and both ends of the tension link and extended about the forepart end of the link into engagement with the back of the latch link 19. The spring is substantially the same width as the tension link and is maintained against lateral displacement by the sides of the mortises 12 and 13. Further, it is fastened to or anchored upon the tension link by reason of its fit upon the opposite curved ends of the link. It is biased to act powerfully upon the latch link 19, maintaining the rear edge face of the link in contact at all times with the latch pin 18, or with the latch angle 15 in the extreme collapsed position of the last. It will be seen that the spring acts at all times to swing the link 14 and the latch 19, scissor fashion, about the anchor pin 16. This spring pressure reacts powerfully to shift the heel part of the last cone-foremost into the position shown in Fig. 1 when the latch link is released from the latch pin 18. Having caused this desirable displacement of the heel part, the spring 20 acts strongly to maintain the parts of the last in the collapsed condition of Fig. 1.

The spring may be secured in operative position by other means than those indicated in Fig. 1; for example, in Fig. 3 the spring 21 is shown as conformed to the forward end of the tension link 14 and welded to its edge face in an area 22. In Fig. 4 the tension link 14 is formed with a reentrant recess 23 at its rear end and the spring 24 is curved at its end- 25 to make interloeking connection with the recess. In this figure the direction of spring action is indicated by the radial dot-and-dash lines intersecting at the anchor pin 16 which is the axis of the system. In all three cases it will be apparent that the spring is carried entirely by the hinge mechanism and has no contact with the wood of either part of the last.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail certain embodiments thereof, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A collapsible last having mating 661 and foreparts on c d by hi ge me han s f the, fol owing pa s, z; a tension link having anchor pins at its opposite ends in the respective parts of the last, a fixed latch pin in the heel part, a latch link pivotally mounted in the forepart and shap d for latching engagement with the latch pin when the last is extended, and a spring secured to the tension link and engaged with the latch link to force it at all times against the latch pin and thereby to lift the heel \part of the last out of a shoe when the latch link; is

unlatched to P m t c lap e. of h l s -t Z A QOllapsible last having mating heel and foreparts and hinge mechanisms comprising a tension link connecting the two parts, of the last, a latch link having a common pivot in the forepart with the tension link, a fixed latoh member in the heel part, and a spring fastened to the tension link, engaging the latch link and forcing it at all times against said fixed latch member whereby the heel part of the last is displaced cone-foremost when the latch link is tripped in collapsing the last.

3. A collapsible last having heel and foreparts and hinge mechanism comprising a tension link having rounded ends pivotally connected to the respective last parts, a latch link having a common pivot in the forepart with said tension link, a fixed latch abutment in the heel part adjacent the free end of said latch link, and a spring conformed to one side of the tension link, curved about its forepart end and engaged with the back of the latch link, said spring acting at all times to swing the tension and latch links together and in so doing to cause the pressure of the latch link to displace the heel part coneforemost.

4 A collapsible last having mating heel and foreparts o ne te y hi ge me nism comp ising th o o ing parts, i a. s io ary pin in he el part, a latch link pi oted. n he prepar a d nga in s id pi at ts fre nd, a tension l nk. onn t n a d la parts, an a spri a ri by h ension in nd. a c li k; ten g at all mes to mo t em. oge he a d thereby i place the parts of the last from extended position.

No references cited. 

